CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
Me and my Dad had an amazing trip to Tanzania in February. We went to DAR -> Mikumi Nationalpark and Zanzibar. We decided to book Serene Tours and both of us are still happy about this decision. Everything was well organized and prepared for us. It started directly at the airport, where we arrived later as expected due to custom issues and our driver welcomes us with a smile anyway in the middle of the night. I read a lot about the Tanzanian Hakuna Matata behavior and I expected many delays in services and no in time services, but I was totally wrong and this is why I want to mentioned that at first. Every driver arrived and every appointment started IN TIME!! Most of the times, the driver arrived before us at the meeting point and how should I say: we are german! People say, normally we are the first person at the meeting point! :-)
The organized hotels were all great and peppered with some little and bigger surprises, p.E. a own butler in Stone Town or a sunset snack in a national park with tasty South African red wine.
I also have to mention our trip to Zanzibar. Same quality there and nothing left to miss. Drivers, guides and operators! Everything perfect and it felt like -> Travelling with friends!! To mention one fact: I paid the bill in a public restaurant. The driver came by and said to the waiter: Stop! I would like to pay and so the waiter gave me my money back. Later he showed me the bill and he paid only a third-part of my amount and not the prices we are used to at home. Serene takes care of you, chooses in my opinion the best accommodations (unbelievable price-performance ratio), the best tours (spice tour and Stone Town - Tour par excellence!!!) and make you feel at home in wonderful country!!
I can recommend Serene Tours and Tanzania to everybody!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you, Kenya Walking Survivors Safari, for our dream trip!
My husband has talked about going to Africa for as long as I've known him, 36 years. So when our friends suggested that we go, we didn't hesitate. This was truly the trip of a lifetime. Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris went all out to make this trip fabulous. The price of the trip included everything (except airfare) -all airport transfers, transportation,accommodations, meals, park entrance fees, oh, and the flight to and from Zanzibar. Our accommodations were varied, from a top notch luxury hotel in Nairobi to a tent in the middle of the Serengeti that actually was our favorite. We loved the tented camps we stayed in, too. We really enjoyed the variety of places we stayed in and the uniqueness of each. The trip itinerary included visits to Samburu, My favorite- visit the Samburu village there-bring things to trade like flip flops for a bracelet- Nakuru ,where we saw white rhinos, Maasai Mara, do not miss the hot air balloon ride over the great migration of wildebeests, expensive but worth it! Amboseli, Lake Naivasha,-we were able to visit Crescent Island and walk with the zebras and other animals, the Serengeti. We were able to see the most amazing animals- the big 5 and so many more! My favorites were the giraffes and zebras, my friend liked the warthogs, so our driver stopped when we saw those! Now I need to talk about our driver, Anthony, who became part of our family because he was so incredibly awesome !He is an expert at spotting animals and we saw things we would have missed without him, such as 2 leopards playing on a branch, lions in the bushes. He took such good care of us, answered all our questions, told us so many facts about animals and taught us words in Swahili. He ate with us at our request and was the best part of the Kenya experience.( I cried a little when we had to leave him.) Everywhere, the Kenyan people were so warm, friendly and happy. Anthony made our border crossing into Tanzania easy , and we were greeted by Abbas, our Tanzanian guide. We went to Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater, where we saw lots of lions. Abbas was a great guide, too. At the Arusha airport,(going to Zanzibar), the plane left an hour early because everyone was there! The beach is beautiful there, we stayed in a place right on it with only 8 rooms, so we got spoiled. Every day was filled with surprises, like seeing animals, and a sense of wonder. I kept saying, "Pinch me, am I really in Africa?" I would highly recommend a trip with Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris. In the 16 incredible days we were there, it was a pretty perfect trip! Thanks, OT (the owner) for all your hard work to make our trip go so smooth!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exactly the help and advice we needed - and some amazing experiences
We knew we wanted to visit South Africa for the first time and then have a safari experience that we wouldn't forget and Rose delivered 100%. Although we organised the SA part of our trip Rose was very happy to make recommendations and they were all perfect. Kensington Place in Cape Town, Grootbos Nature Reserve on the coast and Babylonstoren near Franschhoek (particularly the last two) were exactly what we wanted. Then Rose took over and arranged flights from Johannesburg to Livingstone in Zambia where we stayed on Sindabezi Island which was just a magical location where we visited Victoria Falls and stayed in unbelievably beautiful rooms overlooking the Zambezi river. We then flew by private plane to Sausage Tree Camp which again exceeded all of our expectations. Situated overlooking the Zambezi river in the middle of a national park and open to the wild life. Elephants will regularly wander between the rooms and during the day you have the constant soundtrack of hippos barking across the water. At breakfast you can sit at the bar by the river looking out over the most amazing sights that become just normal and commonplace after a few hours. Crocodiles, hippos, water buffalo and birds of every type are wherever you look but you feel safe and secure at all times.
Rose was always available and her suggestions were invariably spot on. I would recommend her without hesitation.
US
First impressions
One of us was a little reluctant to go on safari but now would happily go on another one.
Would very happily recommend Safarihub and take their advice.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
great guide
Our guide, Joseph, was incredibly knowledgeable about the wildlife. He was also quite kind and had a good sense of humour. He picked us up from our Nairobi hotel and we went to Amboseli first. There were many elephants and a great view of Kilimanjaro when the weather permitted. Then we went to Nakuru, but for whatever reason, nobody around that time was seeing any rhinos, so it wasn't too worthwhile of a stop - everything we saw there could be seen in other parks. We stopped briefly at Lake Naivasha on the way to Nakuru and took a boat trip, seeing many birds and hippos. That was worth it.
The Kenya portion of our safari ended at Masai Mara which was so majestic. We saw the big 5 all quite close (except for rhino). Joseph was in constant communication with other guides on his radio to take us quickly to any interesting sightings.
He drove us to the Tanzania border to meet our new guide. That worked out smoothly, and was a much better alternative to what had been originally suggested to us by the Tanzanian tour provider - a drive all the way back to Nairobi and then the "tourist shuttle bus" to Arusha.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Places and really skilled guide Made this trip unforgettable
Savannah Explorers team is very well prepared and They really make their best to face any problem and request; i felt very secure and all my expectations were satisfied more than i could imagine. They are all very honest and gentle.
I would for sure repeat the experience
Possibly our best tour ever!
Communications were efficient and very helpful. Difficult to know what you are booking from home but they where amazing and honest refunding us money when we changed accomidation.Tour was better than described, guide was amazing we saw so many animals. Due to guides knowledge even saw a black Rhino. Fell in love with Tanzania and It started in Africa. Would recommend this company to anyone visiting Tanzania. thankyou for an amazing experience.
NL
We give Bison safaris an excellent review !
We give Bison safaris an excellent review !
After having a bad experience with another safari company, we decided to go with Bison safaris after thoroughly reviewing them. Maggie (managing director) co-operated very well and answered all our questions helping us to feel secure.
The whole trip was very well, we had a knowledgeable safari guide (Michael), who was very easy to get along with and really engaged. He helped us to best spots to view the animals.
We had a wonderful safari, it could not have been better. We saw the big 5 and much more !
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience
Overall the experience was fantastic! Our driver was on time which is rare in Africa. The food and accommodation were amazing. Would recommend this company to anyone looking to book a gorilla trek!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenya-several parts of Tanzania-including Zanzibar WOW! Always on the go but worth it.
First, the communication with Abdallah was key! He always got back to me and always eased my mind! We had 4 different drivers since we were in four different areas. The Masai Mara in Kenya. This is were we chose to go to one of the many Masai Villages that exist in Kenya and in Tanzania. This was very informative but also helpful to the village monetarily. Yes, we made sure we didn't buy a bunch of carvings or jewelry before hand so that we could buy it from the Masai Village we visited :) We then drove to the Tanzanian Border. From there we spent time in Tent Camps in the Serengeti which is a must. This really gives you the true flavor of the Safari because every other place you stay in will probably be in a lodge of sorts. While you are in the Serengeti, I strongly suggest that you do the Serengeti Balloon Safari. It is a bit of cost but worth every penny. Champagne and Breakfast on the open grasslands after the balloons land. They even have Loos with views (so there are toilets!) Something you will always remember! We then drove to Ngorongoro which is where the Crater lives. This would be one of the only places that you can still find a Rhino. We did see a Rhino but he was very far away and sleeping but we still tell everyone we saw the BIG 5 :) From there we drove to Lake Manyara and the to Tarangire. We flew from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam to go to the Selous Park. All the parks we visited had different scenery and animals but what is important about Selous is that they still allow Game Hunting in parts of the Park (not the part you will be in if you are only shooting animals with your camera). They allow Game Hunting for the revenue but if this continues they will kill off their revenue so when you go to this park on safari to look at the animals instead of killing them you are helping to end the killing by paying not to kill. So spread the word! Selous is cool because you can go off the driving trail to find what you want, unlike the other parks! But, make no mistake, we had seen every animal there was to offer in multiples before we ever got to Selous. If you go to Selous, I strongly suggest that you fly into Selous as apposed to flying into Dar es Salaam and the driving to Selous Park. At least one way. In fact, if you can afford it, I would drive in and fly out of as many places as you can. Other wise there is a lot of driving and it is all very bumpy roads. We did over 3000 miles and it wears on you. You should at least try and drive one way so you can see the culture. We ended our trip in Beautiful Zanzibar. Some people start their trip here but I would suggest ending it here. Because even thought the Safari thing is just wonderful, you need to relax and Zanzibar is the perfect place to do it!!! We did a Safari Blue boat trip, where you snorkel and eat good food. This was memorable! I would say another must do :) In the end, everyone of our drivers and guides were extremely nice, calm and on time. It was a fabulous trip!!!